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If you live in Los Angeles, go see the one-man play Nevermore starring Jeffrey Combs as Edgar Allan Poe; it’s at the Steve Allen Theatre.

People say I read my own fiction well, but I’ve never heard anyone do a better reading of a short story than Combs’s rendition of Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” which he does as part of this play.

I’ve been to lots of poetry readins with Carolyn over the years, and I’ve never heard any poet do a better reading than the performance of “The Raven” Combs gives as part of this play.

It’s a tour de force; Combs is, by turns, funny, moving, frenetic, and melancholy; his Poe is as good as Hal Holbrook’s Twain.

The venue is the Steve Allen Theatre in Los Angeles, which is an intimate setting — just 100 seats (and tickets are just $20). We were front-row center — about four feet from Combs for most of the performance.

Jeffrey Combs has appeared in about 50 episodes of various Star Trek series, in recurring roles such as the Andorian Shran, the Vorta Wayoun, and the Ferengi Brunt, and he also starred in the cult film classic Reanimator.

Our friend Chase Masterson got us backstage to meet Jeffrey after the show (thanks, Chase!), and afterwards, we went for drinks with Chase Masterson (Deep Space Nine‘s Leeta), director James Kerwin (Yesterday was a Lie), writer Andre Bormanis (Star Trek: Enterprise), and actress and chef Gen Anderson (host of Gen’s Guitless Gourmet). All in all, a fabulous evening!